Council goes green as methane from landfill is burnt off

IT'S a green solution. Methane gas collected from Hogan's Pocket waste facility is now being burnt off, which in turn will slash Mackay Regional Council's carbon footprint on the site.

Waste health and regulatory portfolio councillor Laurence Bonaventura said landfill sites produce large volumes of methane gas from the decomposition of organic matter, and this project was a safe way to manage the gas.

"The landfill is capped so the gas can be captured and piped... it's then filtered and burnt off," he said.

"It's burnt off in a similar way to how your barbecue works."

Council is now investigating the possibility of generating green electricity from the landfill.

"We will monitor the site over the next 12 months to determine if it's economically viable," he said.

"If it is economically sustainable I think that would be a great final step for the rubbish that is collected from residents' wheelie bin."

While the carbon tax was a huge incentive for council to establish the gas wells, Mr Bonaventura said a drop in the price of carbon wouldn't affect operations at Hogan's Pocket.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Deirdre Comerford attended the event, acknowledging the half-a-million-dollar project as a major contributor in reducing council's carbon footprint.

"This project is really quite significant in the way it provides a green alternative to managing our landfill sites," Cr Comerford said.

"It takes us one step closer to our vision of developing a sustainable region."